Troop Trees
In Gekokujo, each faction has an Ashigaru troop tree and a Samurai troop tree. Ikko Ikki has a special branch of Monk fighters. The clan troop trees have similar structures. Differences come from some clan-specific weapon preferences and elite units. Each clan has one Elite-tier Ashigaru unit type, and two Hatamoto-tier Samurai units, representing the best soldiers that the clan can field. Equivalent units of two clans have the same base stats (need verification), randomness nature of troop stats will lead to differences between the units of each clan. Here is a quick sum up of the factions specialty : Unlike unit names in Native, names in Gekokujo are consistent, meaning a veteran Ashigaru will be at roughly the same level with its Samurai counterpart. Ashigaru Ashigaru are trained from peasants recruited in villages for 10 mon each. Fresh recruits are hailed by region as villagers. As they participate in battles and are promoted into true Ashigaru soldiers, they are referred to based on their experience, clan, and weapon. Each clan has access to a single Elite Ashigaru unit. Villager Villager Ashigaru recruits are people who have just decided to take their chances on the battlefields of feudal Japan. Unfortunately, their eagerness leads them to follow you with little to no preparation. Armed with whatever passes as a weapon and protected only by their meager clothing, they often meet their ends just as quickly as they began; but under a wise commander, and perhaps a few skilled trainers, they can gain the skills they need to rise through the ranks as spearmen and skirmishers. Spearmen Spearmen are soldiers who have demonstrated skill in the sword and spear. They use their polearms to skewer, slash and bash their opponents at a distance. This allows them to fight outside of the range of a samurai's katana and impale a horse before they can be trampled over, making them effective melee units even if their prowess is lacking. Inexperienced soldiers who have just received their equipment and the training necessary to use them are simply called spearmen, with a humble level of 9. Those who have honed their skills are called Trained Spearmen at level 14. The battle-hardened soldiers are called Veteran Spearmen with a level of 19. Finally, certain clans with superior polearms or secret martial arts give these to the fearsome soldiers who have proven undying loyalty to their lords and field them as Elite Spearmen, with a staggering level of 25. Skirmishers Skirmishers are troops whose eyes are better than their sword-arms. Depending on their faction, they use bows or muskets to eliminate targets at long-range. Most skirmishers carry a one-handed weapon in case they must defend themselves at close range, but they are not suited nor trained for melee combat and in most cases will be swiftly cut down. With some distance however, skirmishers are vicious murderers. It is dishonorable for a warrior to hide behind a shield, and skirmishers use this by shooting at defenseless soldiers as they attempt to close the distance. If left on top of a hill or protected by allied spearmen, skirmishers can rain deadly arrows upon the enemy or put a samurai's years of training to waste by riddling him with holes. Amateurs are called skirmishers at level 9. Those who have learned to shoot with accuracy are called Trained Skirmishers at level 14. After racking up experience and a considerable kill count, they are promoted to Veteran Skirmishers at level 19. Some clans with access to Portugese and Dutch muskets equip and train accomplished Ashigaru snipers and give them the title of Elite Skirmishers at the level of 25.. Samurai ''' Samurai are noble warriors trained from Ji-Samurai, recruited in towns and castles, for 300 mon. They cost even more than mercenaries, but often become far more powerful than others. Their noble background and expensive recruitment fees also allow them to purchase appropriate equipment, ensuring that even a newly recruited Ji-samurai can hold his own in a fight. Each clan has access to two types of Hatamoto units. '''Ji-samurai Ji-samurai are often associated with the region they are recruited from. Once they are promoted, they are identified by their clan rather than their home region. Only level 6, but warriors by profession, their diligent training and status as nobility allows them to eventually become swordsmen, cavalrymen, archers, or gunners of awe-inspiring skill. Retainers Retainers are so named because they are sworn to protect their lord and his honor. They are the trusted guards of the lord and as such are equipped with katanas, one-handed weapons, and the best armor available to them. Ji-samurai are sworn in as retainers once they prove their loyalty at level 11. Experience and rapidly growing skill with the sword earns them the title of Veteran Retainer at level 16. Alternatively, these veterans are given the option of trading their katana for a horse and long spear, receiving the title of Mounted Retainer. If they display great military skill and a penchant for leadership, they are given the post of Officer or Mounted Officer at level 21. Some factions bestow their clan's secret techniques along with top of the line equipment to the samurai who have mastered the sword or spear. These masters are known as Hatamoto Guards or Hatamoto Cavalry with a soaring level of 27. Marksmen Marksmen are samurai with unparalleled skill with long-range weaponry. In contrast to skirmishers, these warriors can use their backup one-handed weapons to great effect, substituting power and reach with speed and skill. Marksmen typically show their capacities at level 11. Simultaneous training in sword and bow or musket allows them to become the powerful Samurai Archer or Samurai Gunners with a level of 16. Samurai whose archery or firearms skill makes their backup weapon virtually unnecessary are given the title of Master Archer or Master Gunner at the level 21. Clans that can craft the best bows or have mastered the guns of the Portugese and the Dutch can give distinguished snipers with inhuman skill the best equipment and the title of Hatamoto Archer or Hatamoto Gunner with a level of 27. Faction Specific Troops A complete table of Faction special troops, with first-tier troop name and weapon used by Skirmishers and Marksmen. Ikko Ikki Special Troops ''' Ikko Villagers are called "Ikko Villagers", instead of "Villagers from Kaga", because Villagers recruited in the remote villages near the fortresses are not from Kaga. The equivalent of retainer are called volunteer ("(Veteran/Mounted) Ikko Volunteer" instead of "(Veteran/Mounted) Ikko Retainer"). Unlike the Samurai clans, the budhist sect Ikko Ikki does not have regular top tier unit (Elite or Hatamoto), but will recruit Monks. The player can hire them in Kanazawa or in one of the three fortresses (which are fortresses, and not castles, therefore you can not hire samurai there), for 10 mon each. It offers a cheap option between Ashigaru and Samurai. However, the player is more than encouraged to recruit Ikko samurai instead at Toyama castle, as they only cost 10 mon, but this may be fixed later. Mercenaries the mercenaries in gekokujo are hired soldiers who can be found offering their services in the Inns of the many towns of the feudal japan. the mercenaries are of unspecified faction (or even social class) which means that they never receive morale penalties due fighting too much with a faction. they have a slightly higher upkeep than equivalent faction troops and they aren't noticeably more stronger, but they are an easy and fast way (if the player has the money) of get troops of diverse quality ranging from the lowly hired guards to experienced agents and veteran warriors. the mercenaries are also one of the two troop tree (being the "female" troop tree the other one tree) to be able to train agents. the agents are troops specialized in covert warfare who can infiltrate in enemy castles and open the gates from inside, allowing parties with low engineering skills to quickly assault castles. '''Peasant men the Peasant Men are the lowliest troop of the mercenary troop tree, consisting in nothing more than "disenfranchised" peasants, they are no better than any other villager in battle, weak and poorly armed it's better to keep them protected and trained until they can promote in more useful troops. peasant men actually can't be hired through visit to the Inns as the other troops of the tree, instead they can be only found as part of peasant parties who go to sell their wares to the town markets. Hired Guards the hired guards are the lowliest troop that can be actually hired in the Inns, just a little step above the peasantry they mostly have bamboo spears, short swords and clubs and ocassionally a musket. they are also commonly found protecting caravans. as the peasants they are better kept away from combat unless you have no better choice. they can promote either in hired gunners or yojimbos. = 'Hired Gunners' the hired gunners are, maybe, one of the most simple ranged units available to the player. "armored" with samurai civilian clothes, their best (and possibly only good) characteristic is that they always are armed with a gun (a Sakai teppo to be exact) though not exactly crackshots and being rather defenceless at close combat (though always armed with wakizachis), anyone who carries a gun can't be exactly underestimated and is always an useful asset. Good as a support unit, they are useful even if just for bulging or patching the ranks of gun troops, also, they are rather cheap troops considering that they always carry a gun. they can't be promoted further. Yojimbos the Yojimbos ("bodyguards") are the other upgrade of the hired guards, armed only with katanas and being rather average swordsmen. they are rather weak due wearing samurai clothing instead of samurai armor, not exactly good field troops but can be dangerous given the circumstances. they can upgrade to Hired warriors or Agents. Agents armed with Ninjatos and Shurikens, these men (often hilariously dressed in drag) are awful troops for their price, but they are able to open up castle gates in sufficient numbers, they can be upgraded to experienced agents Experienced Agents armed with Black light armor, ninjatos, shurikens and even some compact yumi bows, the experienced agent is the top unit of the agent sub-tree. these (sometimes) black hooded soldiers are way better field soldiers than mere agents, but due their cost and time to train it's more wise to keep them far from any harm as they still are rather average-to-weak foot soldiers. they are better at infiltrating enemy castles and take less time to actually open the gates than a similar group of common agents. to open the doors of a castle in mere few hours it's needed a sizeable group of experienced agents, which as said before, are expensive and hard to get. but it's an alternative to having to train a skilled engineer. Hired Warriors the hired warriors are a rather expensive foot infantry, lightly armored and armed (equal to most ashigaru soldiers) they are very skilled troops mostly lacking due their unimpressive equipment, consisting mostly in "military-grade" swords and spears. hard to get and comparatively expensive, maybe their best characteristic is that they can be hired from the Inn, making them a good choice to the players low in troops but with high in funds. Veteran Hired Warrior With an high contract cost and a high upkeep the Hired Vets are the top unit of the tree, being one of the most skilled melee soldiers available, they are battle-ready troops more than able to hold a line, they have good equipment, better than your average ashigaru and on par to your everyday samurai, the hired veterans biggest drawback is their high upkeep, being higher than most of ashigaru troops. though not exactly a cheap or abundant option, if you are lucky, you can get some battle-hardened soldiers if you have enough cash in your pocket in your next visit to the Inn.Category:How to use the toile